Missile or mine launcher



Nov. 4, 1958 Filed April 15. 1953 A. "J. foLoMEo MISSILE 'OR MINE LAUNCHER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Nov. 4, 1958 A. J. TOLOMEQ 2,358,737

MISSILE OR MINE LAUNCHER Filed April 15, 1953 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 19455 A 24 7 Nov. 4, 1958- A. J. TOLOMEO I 7 MISSILE OR MINE LAUNCHER Filed April 13, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet '3 INVENTOR.

@ Hwy/117mm arm/612(9- United States Patent 2,858,737 MISSILE on MINE LAUNCHER Albert J. Tolomeo, Stratford, Conn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the ecretary of the Navy Application April 13, 1953, Serial No. 348,170 2 Claims. (CI. 89-15) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment-of any royalties thereon or therefor.

1 This invention relates to a mine launcher for use in supporting and launching a missile, such as a torpedo. mine or bomb from an airborne craft.

It is an object of theinvention to provide a missile launcher. which will support the missile in various attitudes of position over a range of approximately 90 with respect to the centerline of the fuselage of the aircraft. This is particularly important when the aircraft is carrying torpedos as the water entry angle is a critical factor in the path and depth of the torpedo.

It is a further object of this invention to teach means by which the position of the missile may be selected with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an oblique view of the bomb rack assembly which forms part of the invention, showing a missile in place;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the with the receptacle plug removed;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of one of the plungers;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional'view of the support assembly which supports the bomb rack assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the support assembly showing the brake;

Figure 6 shows the end of the support assembly with the cover plate removed to show the worm and worm gear sector; and

Figure 7 is an end view of the support assembly illustrating the position dial. a

bomb rack assembly The device which is the subject of the invention comprises a support assembly which includes meansfor attaching the missile launcher to the aircraft and for controlling the position of the missile about a horizontal axis normal to the aircraft fuselage and a bomb rack assembly outside the aircraft which is suspended from the support assembly and which includes a bomb rack for holding the missile and means for attaching an electrical connector supplying arming and releasing current and means for applying an initial launching force to the missile upon its release.

As shown in Figure l the mine a standard bomb rack 12 known as 0 Navy bomb rack. .threaded boss 13 which 11 is supported by the Mark 55, Model This rack is provided with a passes through an opening 14 in a bracket or adapter 15 of the missile launcher. A nut 16 is threaded onto the boss 13 and lock wired in place.

The bracket 15 comprises essentially a flat, ribbed plate 17 merging into a cylindrical collar 18. At the 'apices of an imaginary rectangle inscribed on the plate 17 are located four cylindrical sleeves 19 and extending opposite these sleeves and coaxially therewith are cylindrical housing members 20. Bolts 21 pass through a flange 22 on one end of each of the housing members to secure said members to the plate. Channels 23 connect the other ends of the housing members in pairs and help maintain them in position. A slidable tubular pin or plunger 24 is inserted in each of the housing members and has at one end a solid tip 25 which bears against a missile held in the bomb rack, and the tip being secured by a small pin 26. Each of the plungers is provided about midway of its length with a collar 27 and surrounding the plunger is a compression spring 28 whose one end bears upon said collar and whose other end abuts an annular shoulder 29 formed in the plate 17. The purpose of these plungers is to impart an initial launching force to the missile upon its release to insure release of the hanger lug 32 on the mine and to help obtain clearance of the mine from the aircraft. In tests conducted by the inventor using a dummy missile of 300 pounds and a combined spring force on the missile 1 of 200 .pounds, the missile was dropped from various attitudes between 5 above the horizontal to below the horizontal, the approximate limits of position of the support assembly, with good clearance between the released mine and the aircraft being obtained in all cases. Each of the sleeves 19 is provided with a slot 30 which cooperates with a cross-pin 31 on each of the plungers to limit the motion of the plungers in one direction. These cross-pins also afiford a means by which the plungers may be locked out of action for certain purposes, for instance to facilitate placing the missile in position on the bomb rack.

On the plate 17 is a projecting hololw cylinder 33 through which passes a wiring conduit 34 provided on the bomb rack. A mounting plate 35 is attached to the plate 17 over said cylinder 33 by bolts 39 and nuts 40 passing through spacers 38. A receptacle plate 36 is riveted to the mounting plate and supports a receptacle 37 which receives pins on plug 41 on the end of the cable 42 carrying arming and releasing current to the bomb rack. The cable 42 is terminated at a switch accessible to the pilot. i

The support assembly is located interiorly of the aircraft and comprises a frame member attached to structural members of the aircraft by clevis bolts 101 and nuts 102. Further support is provided by tubular 103 bolted to structural members of the aircraft and extending to the free end of said frame and being attached there by a bolt 104 and nut 105. Said frame include-s a bearing support 106 integral with said frame. A main shaft or tube 107 extends through the bearing support and exteriorly of the aircraft where it fits into the collar 18 and serves to support the bomb rack assembly. Taper pins 43 secure the tube 107 to collar 18. A riveted collar 108 on said tube abuts the end of a bearing 109 inserted in the bearing support to prevent thrust in one longitudinal direction and a brake drum 110 secured by 'pins 111 to said shaft abuts the end of a second bearing 112 also held in said bearing support thereby preventing movement of the shaft in the other direction. A grease fitting 113 is threaded into the hole 114 in said bearing support to facilitate lubrication of the bearings 109 and 112.

Tube 107 terminates within a bearing support 115 Patented Nov. 4, 1958 121. The gear sector is keyed to the part by a key 1 '122- andfis'held againstendwise movement by a washer 123 and locking ring 124.

i The taper-pins 43, 111.and 125 are inserted in holes drilled and reamed to a close fit and are drawn tight by threading .on 'nuts.

Worm gear 121 meshes with worm 127 which is The shaft 128 is 'journaled' in the frame member and retained by a washer I32 and locking ring 133 on each end. Spacer 130, ;also.c'arried on'the shaft 128, limit end play of the worm.

crosspin 134 is also driven through the shaft 128 and engages apa'irof notches'137 in the'hub 135 of a crank 136. .The worm may thus be rotated by means of the crank to cause partial rotation of the gear sector which rotation is transmitted to the .main shaft and finally to 'th'ebomb rack assembly to orient'the missile'held by the bonib .rack to its desired relative position. An indicator or pointer 138 isfattached to the gear sector by screws I39 and in conjunction with a calibrated dial 140 on a cover .plate or guard 141 shows the attitude of the 'missile. The cover plate isfastened onto the frame memberlby a plurality of threadedfasteners 142.

'The'brake assembly includes, in adidtion to the'brake drum110, a brakeband substantially encircling the 'brakedrum and having'its one end secured about an adjustingbushing 151 while itsother end is free.

A bolt 152 is utilized to mount the bushing on'the frame mem- "her. The free endofthe brake band has attached to it a cam follower 153 having a .cam face .154 and a guide slot 155, Jsaid .guide slot cooperating with a guide pin 156'to keep the brake band in "alignment with the brake .drum. The guide pinisprovided with a threaded stern 157which receives the nut 158 to fasten said pin'to the framemember. Japan .of stop pins 159 having threaded .stems 160 are secured :tothefframe member'with nuts 161 and in cooperation with an abutment pin 162 secured inthe brake drum operate to limit rotation of the gear sector within't'he boundaries .ofits .arc. A.nut 164 fthreaded onto the shank 163 of the abutmentpin'serves to attach said pin to;the web of thebrake drum.

A bore165 is provided in the'frame rnember'100 houses .a bearing 166 in which is journaled a tubular "stub 'shaft 173. Ajcam'167'bears on the cam face 154 :of'the follower 153 .and is secured to the stub shaft by 'ajpin168. The hub170 of 'a tubular handle or lever 172 is fitted 'onto' the'shaft173 and bears againsta washer 169 also assembled on 'the shaft '173. A taper pin 171 *passesthroughthehub 170 and the shaft 173 tosecure them against relative rotation.

"To "operate the positioning mechanism the brake is released byfmovin'gthehandle *172 to rotate the cam 167 to 'its"p'ositionwherein the most'shallow portion of the cam bears 'againstthe cam face 154. The brake'is released in this position of the camand the brake drum and consequently the tube 107 may be turned freely. The crank 136 is rotated in the desired direction to turn the worm gear by means of the warm to a preselected position as indicated on the dial 140, thus placing a missile held in the bomb rack assembly in a desired attitude. When this is accomplished the brake lever is rotated to a position wherein the cam 167 forces the brake band'into clamping engagement with the brake drum, locking the mine in its set attitude.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. In :a missile launcher for aircraft, a support :assembly located interiorly of the aircraft, a main shaft, bearings provided in said assembly for rotatably supporting the main shaft, a worm gear sector fixed to one end of :said main shaft, 'a manually rotatable worm-meshing with the worm gear sector and operable to cause ;r,otation of :said 'sector,'a Lbrake drum keyed ,tosaid main shaft, a brake band cooperating with said :brake drum and a manually rotatable .cam operatively associated with said brake .drum and effective to clamp the brake gband onrthe brakedrum to prevent rotation of said .brake drum .and'consequentlyof said main shaft and means for supporting a missile externally of the aircraft, said means .including a substantially ,flat, ribbed plate merging into 2. Missile launching vequlpment for aircraft comprising asupport located interiorly of the aircraft, a tubular shaft rotatably mounted in the support and projecting exteriorly of the aircraft, a missile holding assembly secured to the exterior'end of the shaft with the longitudinalaxis 'of the assembly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, means within the aircraft for rotating the shaft to.any desired'position so that thelongitudinal axis of the assembly forms an acuteangle (111121.116 longitudinal axis of the aircraft, locking means forjholding the shaft in any desired position, missilelholding and releasing mechanism located centrally on the assembly and a plurality ,of spring biased plungers located equidistantly from the holding and releasing mechanism for supplying 'a launching force to the missile.

References QCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,400,261 Bowker Dec. 13, 1921 1,720,846 Mather July 16, 1929 2,481,542 Schuyler Sept. '13, 1949 2,549,785 Douglas Apr. 24, 1951 2,771,811 Lauritsen Nov.'27, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 428,934 Great Britain May 15, 1935 380,253 Italy May 1, 1940 411,576 Italy Jan. 18, 1945 987,903 France Apr. 25, 1951 

